Learn About Fraudulent Emails

Some of the most commonly used methods of online fraud today are fraudulent emails and websites that look very similar to your financial institution. These methods, known as "phishing," are attempts to gain access to your personal and account information.

The online criminals will ask you to "validate" or "update" your account information by clicking on a link within the email, website or pop-up window. To determine if the page you are visiting is both secure and is the actual page you intend to view, follow the steps below:

• Web browsers contain a padlock icon when you are on a secure page. It's usually located at the bottom of your browser window. If you use Internet Explorer version 7.0 the padlock is located in the top right corner.
• Check the SSL security certificate by double clicking the padlock icon.
• Be sure the web address on the certificate matches the page you are viewing.